NCJ Number
216847
Editor(s)
Curt R. Bartol,
Anne M. Bartol
Date Published
2006
Length
294 pages
Annotation
This introductory text presents a comprehensive array of articles representing the current perspectives in forensic psychology and criminal justice.
Abstract
Designed to accompany textbooks in a variety of undergraduate courses on crime and forensic psychology, the articles that comprise this text are grouped according to specialty. The majority of articles relate to criminal matters. There are six main units: (1) overview of forensic psychology; (2) police and investigative psychology; (3) criminal and delinquent behavior; (4) victimology and victim services; (5) psychology and the courts; and (6) correctional psychology. Each unit provides an introduction and commentary on the articles that follow. Unit 1, which provides an overview of forensic psychology, explains that the term “forensic” refers to matters related to civil and criminal courts and the law. Forensic science, then, is the application of scientific knowledge to legal problems while forensic psychology focuses more narrowly on how human psychological functions apply to crime and criminal justice processes. Unit 2 offers six articles that discuss different dimensions of police and investigative psychology. For example, one article reviews the psychological testing and selection of police officers while another article explores police investigative interviews with children. Unit 3 contains five articles on criminal and delinquent behavior. Topics include resilience and antisocial behavior, drugs and sexual assault, perceptions of stalking behaviors, psychopathy, and child sexual molestation. The four articles offered in Unit 4 focus on victimology and victim services, such as the experiences of covictims of homicide and victim reporting patterns for incidents involving anti-gay violence. Unit 5 moves on to analyses of how psychology functions in the courts. The five articles in this section discuss such topics as assessing allegations of domestic violence in child custody evaluations and the ethical dilemmas faced by forensic mental health experts in the courtroom. The final unit explores correctional psychology, such as best practices in offender rehabilitation and how to handle involuntary treatment within prison settings. References, index